Plate-printing machine



(No Model.) 7 4' Sheets-Sheet 1. U. 81; H. E. EBERHARDT.

' PLATE PRINTING MACHINE; No. 403,181. PatentedMay 14, 1889.

(No Model.) 7 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

U. 85 H. E. EBERHARDT.

PLATE PRINTING MACHINE. v No. 403,181. Patented May 14, 1889.

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PATENT OFFICE.

ULRICH EBERHARDT AND HENRY E. EBERHARDT, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

PLATE-PRINTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 403,181, dated May 14, 1889.-

Application filed May 3,1883% Serial No. 272,621. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

- Be it known that we, ULRICH EBERHARDT and HENRY E. EBERHARDT, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at N ewark, Essex county, New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Plate- Printing Machines, fully described and represented in the followingspecification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to sundry details of construction in plate-printing presses, whereby the cost and labor of constructing the machine are materially simplified and the operation of the machine is rendered more certain and more perfect.

The improvements consist partly in the construction of the gearing for actuating the driving-chain, partly in the construction of the pad-pressers, partly in the construction of the adjustable eccentrics forvibrating the pad-holder, partly in the feeding devices for moving the wiper-cloth at intervals over the pad, partly in the construction of buffers at the corners of the machine,and partly in the means for regulating the rotations of the impression-roller.

These improvements will be understood by reference to the annexed drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation of one side of the machine, showing the improved gearing and the cloth-feeding devices. Fig. 2 is an inside view of the device for tripping the feed-latch. Fig. 3 is a plan of the frame with the impression-roller and all its fixtures removed, the inking-fixtures removed, and the four planks or tables with their driving-chain omitted from the view, so as to expose clearly to view the improved mechanism for driving the chain. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation on line 00 0c in Fig. 3,0nly the frame being shown in section and the impression-roller being exhibited with one of the planks carrying a plate in contact with the same. Fig. 5 is an edge View of the pad-holder. Fig. (3 is a plan of the same holder, and Fig. 7 is a transverse section on line y y in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a side View, and Fig. 9 a plan, of the adjustable eccentricpin for vibrating the pad-holder. Fig. lOisa plan, and Fig. 11 a side view, of the shaft and plate for driving the same. Fig. 12 is an enlarged view of one of the friction-drivers for the wiper-cloth, and Fig. 13 is a central transverse section of the same with the end of its shaft not in section. Fig. 14 is a side View of one of the detachable feed-wheels. Fig. 15 is a side view, and Fig. 16 an edge view, of the segmental brake for the impression-roll. In Figsl and 4 the lower part of the frame is omitted to avoid reducing the scale of the drawings, and Figs. 5 to 16, inclusive, are drawn upon a larger scale than the previous figures to show the details of construction more clearly. Fig. 17 shows a housing with dash-potattached.

In plate-printing machines a rectangular frame, A, is employed, as shown in Fig. 3, provided along its four sides with ways B, to guide the planks 0 (shown only in Fig. 4) from the inking-roll to the wiping and printmg devices, the inking-rollers being located between the pressing-rollers and the wipingrollers, as at I in Fig. To move the planks along the ways and to shift them automatically at the corners of the frame, an endless chain is commonly employed and actuated by one or more sprocket-wheels located near the corners of the frame and propelling the chain along the four sides of a rectangle. In Fig. 3 two of such sprocket-wheels D are shown mounted upon shafts D, and two idler-pulleys, D are shown at the opposite side of the frame, around which the endless chain would be passed; but the chain is omitted from the drawing, as its operation is already well known in the art, as is shown in United States tained upon a stud, g, midway between the shafts D, with one edge adjacent to one of the shafts a, which drive the eccentric-pins a.

to vibrate the wiper-frame. The shafts a are driven by bevel-wheels g thereon, meshing with similar wheels, 9 applied to the main shaft f which is extended beneath the frame and provided with a driving-pulley, f as shown in Fig. 4, and the mere application of a spur-pinion, g, to one of these shafts then suflices to drive both the chain-wheels D by its contact with the intermediate sp ur-wheeLf.

The shafts a extend above the frame A and are provided upon the top with plates 7), to which are fitted movable plates Z), carrying the eccentric-pins a. Heretofore the eccentric-pins have been fitted by a head at their lower end, movable in slots formed in the plates 1); but in our construction the pins are fixed rigidly in movable plates, which thus give them a broad foothold by which they may be securely bolted upon the rotating plates 1) when adjusted.

The plates are shown in detail in Figs. 8 to 11, inclusive, the plate I) having slots 0, and the plates 1) having tap-holes c,-with bolts d (shown only in Figs. 1 and 4t) inserted through the slots and screwed tightly into the holes 0 to hold the movable plates in the desired eccentric position.

The plates are both shown grooved in Fig. 4:, with a key, d, fitted to the grooves; but a groove is shown only in the plate I) in Fig. 11, and the key (1 formed upon the plate b to fit the same. By this construction the eccentric-pins are held very rigidly when adjusted. The keys (1 maintain their parallelism in all positions, and when lined with one another may be simultaneously adjusted in their desired eccentric position and secured therein by tightening the bolts (1.

In Figs. 5 to 7 the pad-frame E is shown enlarged with four T-shaped bars fitted 1ongitudinally within its open bottom to press by their weight upon the pad II. The T-bars are formed each with a central rib, E, fitted to grooves a, formed vertically inside the ends of the frame E, and the lower faces of the T-bars consist in flat plates adapted to bear upon the pad II and to press the wiper-cloth upon the engraved plate. The pad is held at its opposite ends in clamps h, secured to hanger-bolts 7b which are extended through flanges or cars 7L2, formed upon the sides of the pad-frame, and the bolts are provided with thu1nb-nuts '1', by which they may be drawn up at pleasure, and the pad thus be readily tightened with the required tension.

In Fig. 1 the feed-rollers 0 for the rag or wiping-cloth are shown mounted in bearings above the pad-frame, with a roll of cloth, 1), and a winding-roller, p which latter is driven by pulleys r and a belt, 0', receiving motion from one of the cloth-rollers. The feed-roll- One of the drivingdisks is provided with a sleeve, 0 fitted 1ongitudinally to a key, 0 upon the shaft 0 of the feed-roller, and the sprocket-wheel s is pressed between the disks by a nut or collar, j, fitted to a screw-thread upon the outer end of the sleeve. Layers of leather, 7c, are inserted between the disks and wheel 3 to increase the friction, and the collarj is split at one side and clamped upon the sleeve by a screw to hold it in the desired position when the disks are clamped with the desired force upon the sprocket-wheel. The rag or cloth 1) is conducted from the roll 1) under guideroller 132, and thence over the feed-roller 0 and downward across the pad to the feedroller 0 whence it passes under another guideroll, 19 to be wound upon the winding-roll p The feeding-roller first receiving the rag is provided with an automatic feeding device, which permits its rotation only at regular intervals, which are regulated by the movement of a pawl or latch engaging a ratchet-wheel rotating with the shaft of such roll.

The continuous motion of the chain 8' causes the sprocket-wheels upon both the feed-rollers o and 0 to rotate continuously, while the disks 0 upon the shaft of the first roll are held by the ratchet from rotation intermittently, thus holding back the cloth from the take-up device. The second feed-roller is not, however, restrained by any ratchet, but is rotated independently by its own frictiondriver, and tends by its frictional contact with the wiper-rag p to draw the same tightly across the face of the pad.

The ratchet 7c is shown in Fig. 13 provided with holes 76 fitted to pins upon one of the disks 0, and secured removably to such disk, and a latch, Z, (shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4,) is pivoted upon the padframe to hold the ratchet and the cloth-roll to which it is attached from rotation. A rod, Z, is attached to the latch and extended through a guide, Z upon the bearing of the shaft 5 and is provided with a toe or collar, Z", arranged in the path of a dog, Z", upon one side of the sprocket-wheel s and the dog operates at each rotation of such sprocket-wheel to draw the rod slightly downward and to pull the hooked end of the latch out of the ratchet-teeth.

A spring, Z, operates normally to lift the rod and hold the latch into the ratchet, and one tooth of the ratchet is therefore released at each rotation of the wheel The feedroller to which the ratchet is attached is thus permitted to make a part of a revolution, which feeds the cloth forward a little and slackens the wiper-cloth upon the face of the pad, and the slack of the cloth is then immediately taken up by the friction of the other feed-roller and by the winding-roller p The essential part of this improvement is the continuously-rotating friction-driver operating upon the feeding-roller intermittently by the action of a ratchet-wheel and intermittently-operatingpawl or latch. The sleeve Its , wood 13 are inserted in such notches.

and friction-driver on such feed-roller may be against the chain 8 and operates to take up the slack of the chain in its motion around the wheels .9 and s when the wiper-frame is vibrated by the crank-pins a.

The improvement in the buffers consists in providing a strip of wood at the forward end of each of the ways in which the planks move, so that as the planks reach each corner of the frame their momentum may be arrested without shock. The buffers may, if desired, be also provided at the rear end of each of the ways, as the rear corner of each plank is liable as the planks move from one of the four sides of the frame to the adjacent side to be twisted around into contact with the side of the ways, and thewood may therefore with advantage be used at both ends of each of the ways, as is shown in Fig. 3. To introduce such wooden strips, the outer flange of the ways (lettered B in Fig. 3) is notched out, as indicated at B in Fig. 1, and the strips of To render the wood more yielding under the impact' of the planks, we prefer to attach the wooden strips by screws 1) to the upper edge of the spring-plates B, which are attached to the outside of the frame by bolts b The pressure upon the wood causes such springplates to slightly yield above the point held by the bolts b and the planks are thus brought to rest with very little concussion. In practice the strips of wood B would not project materially beyond the line of the ways; but they are shown in Fig. 3 projected somewhat within the flanges B to distinguish them clearly from the latter.

Figs. 15 and 16 show a segmental brake, if, applied to one end of the pressure-roll, and Fig. 17 shows a weight, K, attached by a cord, K, to one end of the blanket J, which is wrapped around the impression-roll P, as is usual.

One of the housings P for the impressionroll is shown vin Fig. 17, with a dog, 10, at tached to the end of the roller, and operating with the stop 10 upon the housing to check the motion of the roll when reversed by the weight K after each impression.

It is desirable in printing that the weight should bring the dog always into contact with such stop, so that the impression may always commence at the same point upon the rollP; but no means has been heretofore found for bringing the roll to rest exactly in contact with such stop, as the elasticity of the parts tends to produce some recoil. To prevent such recoil is the object of the segmental brake and of a dash-pot attachment, which are shown in Fig. 4 applied to the opposite ends of the impression-roll. This attachment consists in a dash-pot, 4;, attached to the housing P or any other fixed point upon the frame A, and having its plunger 11' actuated by a rack, 10, which is reciprocated by a pinion, u, upon the shaft P of the impression-roll. Such dash-pot, if made deep enough to retard the motion of the roll P during a considerable part of its rotation, would prevent the quickness of movement that is desired, and it is therefore made comparatively shallow and adapted only to assist (at the end of the reversing movement) the operation of the segmental brake t. This brake consists in a segmental tongue, t, formed upon a hub, 1., attached to the shaft P and arranged to enter between clamp-plates if during the reversal of the roll P, and to gradually check the motion of the roll by its friction against such plates. The brake also resists the forward movement of the roll P but this is of no consequence, as such roll is driven forward by the friction of its surface with the plate upon the moving plank and readily overcomes the frictional resistance of the brake. The plates are secured together at their opposite ends by studs or bolts 1?, which hold them stationary upon the housing P,

and one of the clamp-plates is adjustable toward the other by means of nuts 25 The inner sides of the plates are preferably provided with a facing, 25 of leather, to form a suitable friction-surface to bear upon the segmental tongue 75, and the ends of the latter are tapered to make them enter readily between the clamp-plates.

The segmental brake or tongue is shown in Fig. 15 occupying about half a circle, and the brake thus operates to retard the momentum of the roll for a considerable part of its rotation, while the plunger 4), being thrust into the dash-pot by the rack to near the close of,

, clamp-plates 25' upon the brake, which can be effected by adjusting the nuts t while the machine is in operation, so as to secure exactly the desired result. By this construction the dog to, rotating with the impressionroll, may be brought to a gradual and complete contact with the fixed stop it" when reversed by the weight K after each impression, and the recoil of the roller from such stop may be wholly prevented.

The actuation of the winding-roller by a continuou sly rotating friction driver keeps the rag p tightly stretched across the face of the pad during the whole time the machine is in operation, and thus completely prevents the formation of any wrinkles in the rag, which are liable to occur with other constructions, and which are very detrimental to the clean wiping of the engraved plate.

'0 hereby disclaim the broad combination, in a printingmachine wherein the bed or plank travels in a polygonal path, of a bed and a cushioning apparatus located adjacent to the point where the travel of the bed is changed in direct-ion, or any similar combination in which the cushioning apparatus is provided with a contacting-piece against which the bed contacts as it moves in one direction, along which it slides as it moves away therefrom.

\Ve also disclaim the combination, with the D-roll and a bed traveling thereunder, of the blanket attached to the roll, the weight to unwind the blanket, and the dash-pot to aid in checking the momentum of the weight;

also, the combination, in a plate-press, of a I traveling bed, a D-roll above the same, a blanket attached at one end to said roll, a weight connected to said blanket and tending to unwind the same, and the spring-brake acting in connection with a suitable projection to check the roll in its backward motion.

Having thus set forth our invention, what we claim herein is 1. In a plateprinting press, the combination, with the horizontal driving'sha-ft and the sprocket-\\'heel shafts D, of the spurwheelsf, the spur-wheel f, intermediate to the same, and the pinion g, driven by the bevelwheels g substantially as herein set forth.

2. In a plate-printii'ig press, the combination, with the horizontal driving-shaft f and the sprocket-wheel shafts D, of the shafts a, for driving the crank-pins a, the bevel-wheels connecting such shafts with the main shaft f the spur-wheels f upon the sprocket-wheel shafts, the spur-wheelf", intermediate to the same, and the pinion g, applied to one of the shafts a to drive the intermediate wheel, as and for the purpose set forth.

In a plate-printing-machine, the combination, with the pad-frame E, provided internally with the grooves e, of the T-shaped 1)l'B-SSGl-lJ&1'S provided with rib E, fitted to such grooves and movable vertically within the pad-frame, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a plate-printing machine, the combination, with the pz'Ld-frame E and the pad II, of clamps 7t, secured to the opposite edges of the pad, and the hanger-bolts It and nuts litted upon the pad-frame to tighten the pad, substantially as set forth.

5. In aplate-printing machine, the combination, with the eccentric-shafts a and the disks 1), fixed thereon, of the disks Z), provided with the crankpins a, the key (1, for guiding one disk upon the other, and the bolts (7, for clamping the disks when adjusted, as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a plate-printing machine, the combination, with the pad-frame, the pad, and the wiper rag or cloth, of two feed-rollers for the wiping-cloth, provided each with a continuously-rotating friction-wheel, and a ratchet with latch for intermittently releasing one of such rollers, as and for the purpose set forth- '7. In a plate-printing machine, the combination, with the pad-frame, the pad, and the wiper-cloth, of a feed-roller rotated intormittently to feed the cloth beneath the pad, a'

feed-roller rotated continuously upon the cloth at the opposite side of the pad, and a wind ing-roller for winding up the cloth, as and for the purpose set forth. l

In a plate-printing machine, the combination, with the pad-frame, the pad, and the wiper-cloth, of two feed-rollers provided each with a continuously-rotating friction-wheel, a ratchet-wheel .tixed removably upon one of the rollers, and a latch held normally in the teeth of such ratchet-wheel and intermittently drawn therefrom, as and for the purpose set forth.

9. In a plate-printing machine, the combination, with the pad'frarne, the pad, and the wiper-cloth, of two feedrollers for winding cloth, provided each with friction clampingdisks, a sprocket-wheel. clamped between said disks, a chain provided with a tightener and .rotating such sprocket-wheels continuously, a ratchet wheel. fixed upon. one of such rollers, and a latch operating to intermittently release the ratchet, as and for the purpose set forth.

10. In a plate-printing machine, the combination, with the frame A and the ways I3, formed parallel with the four sides of the frame, of the planks C, propelled in such ways as set forth, the spring-plates affixed to the frame at the forward ends of the ways, the notches cut in the frame, and the wooden blocks secured to the spring-plates and operating as a buffer for the planks C, substantially as herein set forth.

11.. In a plate-printing machine, the combination, with the compression-roll I and a blanket, J, operated normally to reverse the roll after each impression, of the segmental brake 1, formed with tapering ends and attached to the roll-shaft I, and the stationary friction-clamps '6, adapted to admit the brake and to grasp the same elastically, as and for the purpose set forth.

1.2. In a Jla-teprinting machine, the combination, with the impression-roll I and a blanket, J, operating normally to reverse the roll after each impression, of the segmental brake If, formed with tapering ends and attached to the roll-shaft I, and the stationary clampplates I, with leather facing and adjustable toward. one another by the bolts provided with nuts if, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ULRICH Ii iERHARD'l.

Witnesses: HENRY ll. llllllltlllllillll.

THos. S. CRANE, IIENRY Reason.

IIC 

